Putting purpose first
Purpose can play a powerful performance-enhancing role for individuals, and for organisations. This is supported by neuroscience, and by research on company performance. Yet, there is distance to go.
What I learnt about ‘delusional dreams’ from Sal Khan
This weekend, I heard Sal Khan (founder, Khan Academy) at a virtual conference about the future of education. I was inspired by his continued belief in what he calls ‘delusional dreams’. This is what I learned.
Leadership is a journey that starts everyday
I have learned that leadership is not defined by roles and designations. It is not about traits, but about actions. And it’s a journey, not a destination…
Focus on the positive
A focus on the positive activates that part of our brain that makes us more creative, open to possibility, filled with an excitement to get even better. And when we focus on the negative, we tend to justify or negate, not change. It actives the body’s stress response. The fight or flight mode.
Loss. Reinvention.
Mid-career transitions – times when we choose to change our career track – can be incredibly hard. Not the least because as we do this, we lose a part of our identity. In the in-between phase, we can no longer define who we are.
Are you self-aware?
If I asked if you are self-aware, what would you say? Most likely you would say yes. Because 95% of people think they are. Unfortunately, the likelihood of your being right is quite low.
Ambition and awareness
Ambition – the part of me that counts my successes every week (okay, every day). That wants to get bigger, better. And fast. But it is only the other part of me, the awareness in the current moment, that allows me to truly connect with my why.
Flow. A lesson from my 9-year old
Flow has tremendous power. While coaching, when I am able to strike a deep connection with my client, I find flow. There is intense concentration, serenity, timelessness and joy! And the experience is so immersive that nothing else matters. As per Csikszentmihalyi, who first studied it, it is what helps us find true happiness in life.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A true icon.
While we mourn the loss of an icon, I wanted to pause and reflect on what I want to learn from RBG and incorporate into my own life.
Where are the women?
Did you know how dramatically women are missing from the data across multiple disciplines? As a result, decisions are based on male data, which is assumed to be representative of all. The results range from disappointing to downright disastrous.